Time flew by, and the day of the finals was almost here.
The night was deep, and the corridors of Konoha Hospital were silent.
Shikamaru felt that his shadow had stopped obeying him.
Not just his shadow-even the soles of his feet seemed to have taken root, pinning him firmly to the tiles.
Naruto was no better off beside him, stuck with his mouth wide open, wanting to shout but unable to make a sound, his face flushed red with the effort.
Before them, the door to the hospital room stood wide open.
The boy from Sunagakure with a gourd on his back stood before Rock Lee's hospital bed.
Gaara.
He did not turn to look at the two "statues" in the doorway. His gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Rock Lee in bed.
His eyes were murky.
It was as though he were looking at a piece of meat, or some kind of garbage that had to be cleared away.
"Why... why do you want to kill him?"
With all his strength, Naruto finally forced a faint sound out of his throat.
Gaara's fingers twitched.
The stopper popped out of the gourd on its own, and fine yellow sand slithered out like a snake, circling in the air.
"Because he's strong."
Gaara's voice was hoarse, carrying an abnormal excitement.
"As long as I kill him, kill this prey that almost threatened me, I'll be able to feel..."
"Feel that I'm still alive."
The sand began to surge, slowly climbing onto the hospital bed and spreading along the sheets toward Rock Lee's neck.
Cold sweat broke out on Shikamaru. How was this a ninja?
He was plainly a madman wearing human skin.
"Stop!"
Naruto desperately tried to move, but the invisible sand restraints were terrifyingly strong, squeezing him so hard